scribble sketchbook

it began on a train ride

Fall 2012, I helped a dear family friend move from Texas to Eastern Washington. I flew down and drove up from the tropics to snow.

The final leg of my journey was a train ride home. I was so exhausted I slept through breakfast. But when I awoke, the fall colors inspired me to draw leaves - which I did in crayon. I liked my scribbly crayon sketches so much that when I arrived in Seattle, I bought a "scribble sketchbook" just for crayons. Using crayons helps me approach my artwork playfully and freely - a bit like my silk dye-painting.

My crayons had melted in the Texas heat. But they still worked fine.

from the train following a river through the mountain pass

a blur of color and light from my train window

Trains have layovers too. I ate well in Seattle and bought a sketch book to become my official "crayon scribble book."

Scribbling seems to work well on any paper...maybe better on the cheap notebook paper.

large scale artwork

My family tells me that my first large artwork was a mural in crayon - on the living room wall, above and behind the sofa. I don't remember it, but apparently I stood on the back of the sofa and colored as high as I could reach. It sounds like fun. it's no wonder I still enjoy scribbling with crayons.

for real

When drawing the printing plate image on limestone for my stone impressions, I use crayons with varying amounts of grease in them. The more grease, the more ink will stick later.